trainchaser

...just noticed the spoke count on my new Sirrus Comp, never have I had this few spokes on a bike, 24 on the front wheel and 28 on the rear. I weigh just a touch less than 200 lbs and I've never had a broken wheel or a spoke before, but looking at these and noticing the lower spoke count makes me wonder if I'm playing a dicey game...
Any thoughts or comments, or suggestions???

DorkDisk

Its only a problem if you're supposed to have more spokes. Most OEM parts are built to withstand the average weight of the north american male, which is right about 200lbs, and the max rider weights hover around 270lbs with entry level models generally having higher limits. On the other hand, OEM parts are designed to outlive the warranty period. Low spoke count is a trend mostly for visuals, since any weight lost is compensated by a heavier rim, the rim having to be stronger to compensate.

You can check the designed rider weight here: https://media.specialized.com/suppor...0000047554.pdf .

Build quality and riding style is the largest indicator of whether it will hold up or not. Any wheel can be destroyed by anyone. At 135lbs Ive gone through a few spokes and dented several rims on quality handbuilt parts and wheels from offroading over the years. Its always a good idea to have the spoke tension checked on machine built wheels. .

24/28 is not too low a count these days and should hold up fine for road riding. But why don't you tell us in a few years how they held up?

10 Wheels

I broke spokes with 24, 28, and 32 spoke wheels.

Never with 36 spoke wheels.

Go with 36 spokes and have Peace of Mind when you ride.

KLiNCK

24/28 should be fine for your <200 lbs. Just keep them trued and avoid jumping curbs and potholes as much as possible.

MRT2

24/28 spokes would make me nervous, as I have had back wheel problems in the past. 32 spokes minimum for me, and 36 spokes is better. But I weigh well over 200 lbs and have for some time.

10 Wheels

Good Luck on The Should.

10 Wheels

100 mile ride.(32 spoke wheels)

Had to put on my spare 700 x 18 tire to make it home.

trainchaser

...so...some say I'm good to go while others voice concern - not that encouraging. By the way, I'm on the way down from when I weighed a lot more than I currently do, so the scenario will only improve with further weight loss - one of the reasons I bought the new bike.
...maybe I'll stop at the LBS and see what they have to say, I'll let you know...

Wilfred Laurier

Good news: on a properly built, tensioned, de-stressed, and re-tensioned wheel, the spoke count is not nearly the big problem that some make it out to be. Many in the Clydesdales/Athenas forum are riding on lower spoke count wheels without problems.

Bad news: it is not safe to assume that the wheels on a mass manufactured bike are properly built, tensioned, de-stressed, and re-tensioned.

Good news: If you have your wheels checked and probably re-tensioned by a competent wheel builder after a couple hundred miles of riding, they will probably be good for many thousands of miles.

trainchaser

...stopped into my LBS this afternoon and asked about the spoke count for the wheels on my new Sirrus Comp carbon. They said they're good for up to 240 lbs, but that they have customers who are heavier than that who ride the same wheels and haven't had any problems at all. They said the numbers are listed lower than actual limits to keep the legal department happy. It's interesting that it's also the weight limit given by Specialized for the carbon frame Sirrus series bikes that feature these wheels, whereas the Sport carbon and Elite carbon feature 32 spoke wheels front and back and the weight limit is 275 lbs. Pretty sure now that the weight limits for the bikes are determined by the wheels they feature.

I suppose you could always order a set of the 32 spoke wheels from Spesh if you wanted to, but if you were going to spend money on different wheels I'm sure you would move up to non OEM wheels anyway.

I asked why so few spokes and they said it's all marketing, evidently it "looks cooler", hmmm, who determines these things?

Oh well, the limit is 240 and I'm at 204 right now and heading down the scale so I'm not anticipating any issues...

ps: went for a quick spin after dinner, putting it mildly, this bike is absolute blast to ride!!

chong67

Cannot do jumping on curbs at all?

I am 165lb.

I been doing this and never thought about it.

10 Wheels

Agree....

MRT2

You want to take a chance like that on your Sirrus Expert Carbon? Its your money.

trainchaser

...well, the store said if there was ever an issue the warranty would take care of it, they haven't had any failures with these wheels yet. I've been dealing with these guys for literally years and I trust them - they have no reason to mislead me... And I'm not into paying as much for a set of wheels as I did for the bike, which some apparently have no problem doing...
...anyway, I do appreciate the concern, thanks...

KLiNCK

Of course you can jump curbs and run through potholes (sometimes you have no choice!). Every time you do though you increase the risk of damaging your wheelset.

travbikeman

ehhh, I say ride it till the wheels break. Then get new ones. I rode my 32 spoke wheels for 1 1/2 years on rails to trails and just recently had to replace them for riding over a bunch of small rocks. I'm a clyde that used to weigh nearly 380 lbs when started out on my Crosstrail. The rear wheel didn't die until I was under 300lbs and I got too comfortable at taking bigger risks.

ColonelSanders

What are your new wheels, or haven't you decided yet?

travbikeman

I bought some 36 spoke weimans 29 inch mountain bike wheels to better handle the trails. Got a great deal, only paid around $25 dollars new for the set due to points from Performance Bikes I had. My 35c smooth tires fit them, but will be testing them out on a rail trail this weekend. Nice they are large enough that i can now use 29 x 1.9 mountain bike tires. Got some cheap from Nashbar. Check out my post on what you did for your hybrid.

ColonelSanders

Wow, what an incredible price.

travbikeman

Yea i was really happy on this deal, since my other lbs qouted me $150 on a new rear wheel alone.

ColonelSanders

Unfortunately the pics aren't showing up for me on the other thread, could upload a pic again please.

travbikeman

will tomorrow, cant get my phone to post picture,will try with pc in the morning.

travbikeman

Here it is:

ColonelSanders

Not showing up for me.

travbikeman

How about now? I changed it to my photobucket account instead. Weird how I was able to view it and no one else.